A known type of vehicle door includes a door panel composed of an inner panel and an outer panel. In such a vehicle door, a door sash extends upward from a midpoint of the upper edge of the door panel, and part (hereinafter referred to as a step) of the upper edge extends from the door sash to the front edge. The step is formed by joining an inner portion of the inner panel corresponding to the step and an outer portion of the outer panel corresponding to the step together.
Specifically, the outer portion is bent inward in the vehicle width direction, and the upper edge of the inner portion is aligned with the bent outer portion, and thereby joint margins are obtained. The step is formed by joining the joint margins together with an adhesive or by welding (e.g., MIG welding), with the upper edge of the inner portion being aligned with the outer portion (see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 4196688).
The step, which is part of the upper edge, extends from the door sash to the front edge so that the door sash is located rearward of the front edge of the door panel in the vehicle body. In this manner, a wide space for a quarter window is obtained in front of the door sash in the vehicle body.